Salmon Steward is the official publication of the Pacific Salmon Foundation in British Columbia, Canada
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1182504
I became CEO of PSF in April and since then we have been renewing our strategic plan for the next four years. We have been thinking a lot about the best ways to reflect the essence of PSF's work as we continue to evolve, particularly with our growth in research and citizen science. In short, we see PSF as the independent, thoughtful leader and catalyst in the conservation, restoration and enhancement of Pacific salmon and their ecosystems. Independent & Thoughtful Leader PSF is a non-governmental organization singularly focused on being the voice for Pacific salmon. Last year, we publicly stated our position that the open-net-pen salmon farm industry should move to closed- containment operations to eliminate the transfer and amplification of potentially harmful pathogens and sea lice to wild stocks. Recognizing that this transition will likely take time, we have since offered science and policy advice to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and DFO to encourage much-needed improvements to fish health monitoring and testing of open- net-pen facilities. We continue to highlight the dissonance between DFO's regulation of open-net sa lmon aquaculture and their responsibility to protect Canada's wild salmon resources and biological diversity. We will continue to do so because it is critical to do all we can to protect Pacific salmon while farms still operate in our marine waters. Since April of this year, PSF staff have been working closely with three First Nations in the Broughton Archipelago (the Namgis, the Kwikwasut'inuxw Ha xwa'mis and Mamalilikulla First Nations) to support development of an Indigenous scientific program to monitor open-net-pen farms. This is part of a historic agreement between these three First Nations, the salmon aquaculture industry and the Province of British Columbia to be implemented during the next several years. Some industry sites there immediately terminated operation but others may continue to operate if they meet environmental standards established between all parties to the agreement. If not, then other open-net- pens will also transition out of marine waters in the Broughton. PSF CEO Michael Meneer at a fry release with daughter Maisie on Kanaka Creek in Maple Ridge. salmon Steward magazine 3 CEO'S MESSAGE By Michael Meneer, President & CEO, Pacific Salmon Foundation Finally, over the course of 2020, researchers funded by PSF and our donors will be publishing a number of academic papers with findings from our Strategic Salmon Health Initiative. In short, this initiative is using cutting-edge genomic tools to inventory potentially infectious agents that may cause disease in wild, farmed and/or hatchery salmon. Our research has already discovered 15 new viruses not previously reported in salmon. Just as the Human Genome Project was pivotal in our understanding of human disease, we are confident that the knowledge we have catalyzed will strengthen the case for moving open-net- salmon-pens out of our coastal waters. Catalyst In this context, "catalyst" means helping Pacific salmon adapt to major climate and landscape changes in B.C. PSF recently granted $200,000 to alleviate wildfire impacts to critical salmon habitat in the B.C. Interior. Funding was provided to streamkeeper organization Baker Creek Enhancement Society and the Nazko First Nation near Quesnel. The three-year program is intended to serve as a model for wildfire mitigation efforts across the province. You will recall, in the summer of 2017, the Plateau Fire in the Cariboo- Chilcotin region burned more than half a million hectares of land, much of it in an area impacted by the mountain pine beetle. Important Chinook and Coho runs lost plant and tree habitat (p.12). In the words of Tracy Bond, project lead: "We need to find creative ways to work together to ensure juvenile salmon have food and cover... The Pacific Salmon Foundation has provided the initial funding to get this project off the ground and to help us attract the many partners we will need to complete this work." This is just one of many examples – thanks to our donors – where PSF is serving as an independent, thoughtful leader and catalyst in the conservation, restoration and enhancement of Pacific salmon and their ecosystems. We hope this will inspire you to donate to PSF as part of our year-end appeal. We are especially grateful to PSF board member Ross Beaty and his family through the Sitka Foundation for providing a $50,000 matching donation to encourage other Pacific salmon lovers to donate by December 31, 2019. On behalf of our board of directors and outstanding staff, thank you for all you do to support the important work of Pacific salmon conservation. n Making a Difference